Catnip is a member of the Mint family, Catnip is an aromatic, strong smelling herb. It has clusters of white or purplish-blue flowers atop toothy, heart shaped leaves with a light gray colored fuzz on the leaf. There is also an uncommon yellow variety. The leaves have a lemon-mint flavor and scent. It is fun to grow for your cats, and for tea for you.

Catnip is a perennial, and grows two to three feet. It is native to North America. In addition to cats, bees are also fond of Catnip. Make sure to leave PLENTY of room to grow catnip – - it will often overcrowd many of your other herbs, flowers or plants.

Grow Catnip plants from seed. Sow seeds into your garden in the spring. Space seedlings or thin plants to 20″ apart.

Catnip thrives in sun or partial shade. They prefer average, well drained soil over rich soils. They grow well with little attention, and will withstand crowding. Fertilizer is not usually required, except in the poorest of soils. We always recommend a little fertilizer at planting time, and a couple of times a year to promote maximum growth.

After the plants have grown a few inches, pinch back the shoots to promote bushy growth. It will first bloom in mid summer. After harvest, trim back the plants again. With luck, you will get three harvests in a season.

Aside from using it to drive your cats kooky – catnip has documented herbal remedy benefits: Used for reducing chickenpox and measle eruptions. Lowers fever. Useful herb for insomnia – even in children. Helps relieve digestive disturbances and stomach flus. This herb has a gentle carminitive action. An infusion is given to children and nursing mothers to help expel trapped gas. It also safely induces sleep without any grogginess the next morning.

Tops of plant are harvested and used as a tea or infusion. Sometimes used in combination with other herbs in tincture form. [Source]

This year, I chose to grow my strawberries in hanging baskets, as pictured above. I have 4 of those baskets hanging from the deck of my house.

If you choose to plant them in the ground – make sure that they aren’t planted in the same soil as tomatoes, peppers or eggplants… and that none of those vegetables have been planted in that soil for at least the past 3 years. (see why I do hanging baskets??)

My neighbor has one whole 50×50 space dedicated to strawberries. A farm down the street from us dedictates full acerage to strawberries. And here I am with my pathetic little hanging baskets! But! They produce really sweet, gorgeous berries all summer long and I love having them hang outside the kitchen so I can just step out and pluck a few to add to my yogurt or ice cream!

Grow in full sun all day and expect luscious berries in 3 months. They are BEAUTIFUL ornamental plants, which will dazzle your visitors. They should be spaced 10″ – 14″ apart depending on level of fertilization and plant size. Pajaro variety produces the largest plants requiring the greater planting distance,

Prune off all runners that develop the first season so all the energy is focused into fruit production. If the plants are not sized up when flower production starts, remove first flush of flowers. If berry production or plants are less vigorous in subsequent years, you may want to put in new plants in fresh soil to get that incredible vigor you witnessed the first year. Commercially, they are usually treated as annuals, even though; they are in fact, perennials

Along with the hanging baskets, I also have a couple of these on order to be delivered by the end of the week – - I’m keeping these right outside the patio doors to my kitchen:

Strawberry Planter

MMMMMM.. strawberries! If I had to pick a favorite plant in my yard – - this one might just be IT!

A random reader emailed me asking to see pictures of the leaves that I posted about in my Garden Dust post. I mentioned that I noticed small holes in some of the leaves on my bean plants – - so here is the results of the mighty leaf muncher: